🔗 Share this article

The US government has imposed sanctions on a group of four people and four firms accused of recruiting South American contractors to combat alongside and instruct a armed faction in Sudan that Washington accuses of committing genocide.

Network Composition

Revealing the restrictions on Tuesday, the Treasury stated the scheme was primarily made up of individuals and businesses from Colombia.

Numerous of former Colombian military personnel have allegedly journeyed to the Sudanese warzone to operate with the Sudanese RSF militia, a group implicated in terrible atrocities including targeted ethnic killings and mass abductions.

Emergence of Involvement

The participation of ex-soldiers initially emerged in 2024, following an inquiry which found that hundreds of former soldiers had been recruited to fight – an revelation that led to an unprecedented apology from officials in Bogotá.

Colombian ex-soldiers have long been considered as some of the most in-demand contractors globally due to their vast combat experience resulting from years of internal conflict, knowledge of Nato equipment, and elite military instruction.

Role in the Conflict

In the conflict, the Colombians have reportedly trained underage fighters, taught fighters to pilot drones, and participated in direct battles. One source previously stated that instructing minors was "terrible and insane" but noted that "regrettably, war operates that way".

Sanctioned Individuals

Among those targeted was Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, a citizen of both Colombia and Italy and ex-soldier based in the UAE. The US authorities alleged he played a key part in hiring and sending ex-military personnel to Sudan. His wife, Claudia Oliveros, was similarly targeted.

Also on the sanctions list was Mateo Duque Botero, a dual Colombian-Spanish citizen who authorities say ran a firm accused of managing finances and payments for the recruitment operation. "Over the past two years, US-based firms connected to Duque conducted several money transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the government release stated.

Colombian national Mónica Muñoz Ucros was the other individual to be sanctioned, with the firm she operated said to have conducted wire transfers connected to Duque and his businesses.

"The US once more urges outside forces to halt the flow of monetary and weaponry aid to the warring parties," the Treasury stated.

Reaction

An expert, from a conflict think tank, described the actions as a "major" development, noting that "calling out those who are doing the contracting is the correct approach".

It was also noted that, Colombia ratified a statute endorsing the International Convention Against the Recruitment and Use of Mercenaries, aiming to curb its citizens' long history in overseas wars and reshape its security approach.

A mercenary specialist, an expert on mercenaries, called for greater wariness, noting that "sanctions are necessary but insufficient for combating rampant mercenarism".

"It’s an illicit economy and operating from the Emirates, which is relatively sanction-proof," he stated. The UAE has been frequently alleged of providing arms to the militia, claims it rejects. "More contractors from Colombia are likely," McFate warned.